Machine for turning articles of pearl



(No Model.) v 3 SheetSV-Sheet 2.

- J. I'. SPRAGUE.

" MACHINE FOR TURNING ARTICLES 0F PEARL, &c.

Patented Aug. 20, 1895.

'h fr (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. P. SP'RAGUE-' MACHINE FOR 'TURNING AMIGLBSl or PEARL, &c.

machine.

UNITED STATES i PATENT- OFFICE.-

JAMES E. SPRAGUE, OE RIVERSIDE, RHODE ISLAND, 'ASSIGNOE TO THE STANDARD PEARL BUTTON COMPANY, LIMITED, on DE- TROIT, MICHIGAN.

MACHINE AFOR TURN|NG ARTICLE-s oF PEARL, anc.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Let'eens Patent No. 544,698, dented August. 2o, 1 895.

' Appiinneien nea Innnnny is, i892. Renewed inne zo, i894. Senni Ne. 515,190. ein model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. SPEAGUE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Riverside, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines -for Turning Articles of Pearl andother Similar Material, of which the following, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is-

vices and combinations of devices hereinafter more fully specified, and pointed out in the claims. f

Figure lis a front View of my improved Fig. 2 is an end` view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on vline 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the feedlever with its actuating-cam. Fig. 5 isacentral longitudinal section of the machine wit the tool-holder removed. y

In the accompanying drawings, A is the bed-plate of the machine supporting the various parts.

B is the head-stock having bearings 6 6, in which is journaled the spindle B, carrying the belt-pulley B2, through which it obtains its rotary motion. The forward end of the spindle B is chambered out lo receive the.

jaws 6 of the chuck, which is employed for retaining the blank 62 during the operation of turning. The jaws 6 are formed bysawing slits into the forward end of the sleeve 6,3, and then the open space so formed between the jaws is filled with a layerof felt or other elastic material 625, which'will serve to prevent the dust and cuttings of pearl from entering the interior chamber of the chuck, and the rear end of the said sleeveisscrew-threaded and is screwed into the correspondingportion of the spindle B. The jaws 6 are provided on their outer surfacewith the conical portions 64, which are operated upon toncon'- tract the jaws by the conical bore of the end of the sleeve 65, which is interposed between the jaw-sleeve 63 and the inner Wall of the chamber in the spindle B,'sov that when the sleeve 65 is moved'on the sleeve 611, in a forward direction, the conical surfaces willcome `in contact with each other and cause a contraction of. the jaws 6 'for the purpose of clamping lthe blank 62. The sleeve 65 is operated by means of the rod 66, having at one end the enlarged portion 61', into which is driven the p in 6,8, the projecting ends of which pass through slots 69 in the sleeve 63, and are firmly secured to the sleeve 65, so that a longitudinal movement of the rod 66 will resultin a likemovement of the sleeve 65. Interposed between the enlarged portion 67 of the rod 66 and the bottom of the chamber-in the spindle B is the spiral spring 6111, which tends to move the rod 66 .forward and thus close the jaws 6. The shaft C is journaled in bearings c and supports the cone-pulley C,'the hub of which is provided with the clutch member c,`adapt ed to be engagedy by a similar clutch member c2, which is held in sliding contact on the shaft Cby means of the spline 03.1 Theshaft C is also provided with the worm O2, meshing into a worm-gear D', which is firmly secured to the cam-shaft D extending lengthwise of the machine. Secured upon the shaft D near its-end is a cam D2, which serves to rock the lever B3 on its pivot-pin 611, which is held in the lugs 612 of the head-stock B. The upper end of the lever B3 is bifurcated,and has pins 613 entering the groove 614 of the collar 615, which is loosely supported on the rod 61", while the check-nuts 615serve to limit the Inove- 4ment of the rod 611 when pushed forward by the spring 6111 to close the jaws. It will therefore be understood that/the cam D2 serves'to open the jaws, while the spring 6111 closes the same.

To the top of the forward bearing 6 of the v head-stock B is secured the frame-casting E, having a dovetailed way e to receive the corresponding-lugs e of the guide-plates E E', each of which is provided with a removable strip e2, forming a groove e3 of a width equal to the thickness of the blank to beoperated 9D upon by the machine. In this mannera guideway is formed for the blanks, which arepassed into the said guideway edgewise and one .afterthe other, as shown in lFig. 3. `If blanks of a dierent thickness are to be placed in roo the plates E and others of the proper depth are substituted therefor; and I am furthermore enabled to adapt the guideway for blanks ot' different diameters by providing a screw E2 with right and left hand screwthreads fitting into the lugs e of the plates E', so that when .said screw E2 is turned an increase or decrease in the distance between the plates E will be obtained. The screw E2 is also provided with a circumferential groove c4, adapted to receive the pin e5, which is secured to the frame E, thus preventing the longitudinal movement of the screw. (See Fig. 3.)

Pivoted on a stud F secured to the headstock B is the feed-lever F', the upper end of which is provided with a nosef adapted to hold back the blanks in the guideway and to feed the same one at a time to the jaws of the chuck. The lever lF is rocked backward to withdraw the `noseffrorn below the lowest blank in the guideway to allow the same to drop in front ot' the chuck by means of a cam F2, which is secured to the shaft D, while a spring f serves to rock the lever back again to properly separate the remaining blanks in the guideway from the said blank in front of the chuck. Pivoted upon the stud F is the lever G, which obtains its rocking motion in one direction through the cam G on the shaft D and in the other direction through the spring g, which is attachedat one end to a post on the bed'plate ofthe machine. The upper end of the lever G carries a blade G2, in which are held the three pins g', projecting far enough from the side of the plate toward the chuck to catch the blank as it is allowed to drop from the guideway by thewithdrawal of the nosef. In this manner the blank will be loosely supported at a point which is centrally opposite to the jaws of the chuck, and it is then ready to be pushed into its place between the jaws by the setting-lever H, which is pivoted at h to the centering-lever G, and to which a rocking motion toward the chuck is imparted by a side cam H", formed at the side of the cam G', while a spring h serves to return the lever I'I to its normal position. The upper end of the lever H carries the setting-pin H2, which passes through au opening inthe blade G2, and is adapted to push the blank olf the pins g and place it within the jawsof the chuck.

In operating upon the pearl blanks itis desirable to have all of the same lot ot uniform thickness. I therefore provide within the jawsl The jawsb are provided with the annular shoulderb, against which rests the washer 1918, and resting in the bore of the jaws is a sliding sleeve or plug b1", having at one side a groove Z120, adapted to receive the stationary pin b21, whereby any rotation of the sleeve bm independently of the jaws will be prevented, and whereby the outward movement of the said sleeve will be limited. The sleeve Z212 is provided with a screwthreaded hole Z922 adapted to receive the screw o23, and a spiral spring Z924 is interposed between the sleeve Z212 and the washer Z118. It will thus be seen that the sleeve 1319 can be forced inward until the end of the screw Z323 comes in contact with the washer Z918 and that the spring b2" will serve to push the said sleeve outward until the end wall of the groove Z920 comes in contact with the pin b21, in which case the forward end of the sleeve will be liush with the ends of the jaws and the blank will be discharged therefrom.

Secured upon the bed-plate A is the post I, provided at its upper portion with the dovetailed groove t', to retain in sliding contact the carriage I upon which the tool-holder I2 is secured, and a reciprocating motion is imparted to the carriage I', by means of the lever I3, which is pivoted at t" to the post I, and the lower end ot' which carries a roll i2, adapted to be acted upon by a cam I4, which is secured ou the shaft D. VThe cam I4 serves to advance the carriage l positively toward the chuck against the resilient action of the spring l5, which serves to return the carriage to its usual position, and by means of the set-screw t2 and check-nut i4 the limit of the path traversed by the carriage I may be adjusted, so as to bring the cutting-tool to the desired nearness to the chuck. The carriage I is provided at its front side with a segmental rib i5, adapted to enter a corresponding groove in the rear side of the tool-holder I2, which is also provided with a slot t, through which the screw t7 passes, for the purpose of securing the toolholder to the carriage. Journaled in the toolholder l2 is a short spindlet'f, carrying a worm (not shown) which is adapted to mesh with the worm-gear t2 attached to the upright screw 1210, which is also journaled in the holder I2, and which serves to actuate the nut i, in which the tool i12 is securely held by the set-screw @'12, and the upper end of the tool @"2 is guided in a'suitable opening provided in the projection im of the tool-holder.

Loosely supported upon the spindle i8 is a lever 15,.the upper end of which carries a dog fils, adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchetwheel i, which is secured to the spindle t2,

and to the lower end of the lever is attached oneend of a chain fils, the other end of which is secured to an eyebolt il, firmly held bythe check-nuts 'L20 in the lug 21, which is attached to or forms a part ot the post I, so that when the carriage I advances toward the chuck the lever 15 will be rocked slightly on the spindle, carrying the dog 16 backward over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel i against the resilience of the spring 22, so that when the ICO IIO

carriage moves back, the said spring will cause the movement of the ratchet-wheel for one or more teeth, and the consequent eleva-Y tion of the cutting-edge of the tool, by the resulting movement of the elevating-screwilo, the forward movement of the lever @'15 being limited by the stop-pin 23, and a retainingpawl 7124 being provided to prevent the backward movement of the ratchet-wheel. The tool/12 is ground by means of an emery-wheel K3, whose supporting-frame admits not only of a vertical adjustment so as to grind the Atool at the'proper height relatively to the work to be performed, but which may also be set so as to produce a cutting-edge lying at an angle with the horizontal plane of the axis of the chuck-spindle.

To the side of the postI (see Figs. 2 and 5) is attached the bracket K, having-a slot la, adapted to receive the shoe la' of the frame K, the said slot la and the shoe lc being formed on an arc, the center of which is in line with the axis of the chuck-spindle, and.

a nut k2 serves to firmly retain the frame K in position.

Journaled in the bearings k3 of the frame K is the spindle K2, carrying at its lower end the emery-wheel Kg and at its-upper end the collar Kthe upper bearing being chambered out to receive aspring k, which is interposed between the collar 154 and the bottom of the chamber, and which serves to hold the upper end of the spindle k2 in Contact with the end of the set-screw k6, the latter being screwed into the cap k7, which is held at the upper end of the bearing 7c3, and by means of the screw k6 the emery-wheel Ks can be depressed to take up wear. Projecting rearward from the upper bearing k3 is a lug les, in which is held the stud k2, upon which are supported the idler-pulleys 1610, which carry the drivingbelt around the pulley la, having a spline connection with the spindle K2. The emerywheel is so set that as the tool istraversed beneath it the cutting-edge of the said tool will be groundin a horizontal plane with the axis of the spindle, and as' the tool-holder is adjustably held on the carriage lthe tool can be tilted so as to obtain the proper angle at the cutting-edge, according to the requirement of the specific material to be operated upon, and on the other hand I am enabled, by the adjustability of the supporting-frame K in the slot k, to tilt the emery-wheel transversely to the axis of the spindle yand thus obtain a side bevel on the cutting-edge of the tool.

The operation of the machine is as follows: As the feed-lever F recedes a blank leaves the guideway and is caught by lthe pins of the centering-lever G, after which the settingpin II2 moves forward and forces the blank in to the open chuck and holds it therein until the jaws b have beenclosed. The settingpin then returns to its normal position and the centering-lever Gr, with thesetting-lever H, are carried backward, while at the same which, when passing in contact with the emery-wheel, will be sharpened preparatory forr operating upon another blank, while the finished blank will be released by the jaws and then discharged from the chuck by the springactuated sleeve or plug 619.

The cutting-tool i12 may bemade of any desired form of cross-section, so as to impart the proper shape to the blank, and the said tool may be made in any desirable length and be fed forward for sharpening, as required.

I claim as my invention-v 1. In a button forming machine, the combination with ablank-holding chuck and atool sharpening grinder having fixed positions, of

a cutting tool movable immediately from the chuck to the grinder without change of direction, for successively engaging with a blank and said grinder at opposite ends of its movement, whereby the tool is resharpened after each operation upon a blank, and means for reciprocating said tool, substantially as set forth. f v v 2. In a button forming machine, the combination with ablank-holding chuck and a toolsharpening grinder, of acutting tool, means for moving said tool toward and laway from said chuck whereby said tool is caused to engage with a blank and saidgrinder at opposite ends of .its movement, and means for automatically feeding said tool forward in its holder, substantially as set forth.

. 3. In a button forming machine, the combination with ablank-holding chuck and a tool a cutting tool movable immediately from the chuck to the grinder without change of direction, the surface of said tool vto be ground being uppermost, and means for reciprocat- Aing said tool between said chuck and grinder,

whereby the cutting edge of the tool will engage with the blanks, and the surface thereof to be ground will be brought into engagement with said grinder, substantially as set forth.

4. In a button forming machine, the combination with a blank-holding chuck and a toolsharpening grinder having fixed positions, of a cutting-tool having an angularposition with relation tothe axis of the chuck, means for sharpening grinder having fixed positions, of v reciprocating said tool between said chuck and grinder and engaging the blanks and the grinder at opposite ends of its movement, and mechanism'for automatically feeding the tool forward to maintain its cutting edge practically-in line with the axis of the chuck and with the surface of said grinder,substantially as set forth. j Y

5. In a button forming machine, the combination with a blank-holding chuck and a toolsharpening grinder, having fixed positions, of a cutting tool,`having an angular position .with relation to the axis of the chuck, reciprocating between said chuck and grinder and engaging the blanks and the grinder at opposite ends of its movement without changing its position relative to the axis of the chuck, substantially as set forth.

G. In a button forming machine, the combination with a blank-holding chuck and a toolsharpening grinder, having xed positions, the grinding surface being located practically in line with the axis of the chuck, of acutting tool having an angular position with relation to the axis of the chuck, reciprocating between said chuck and grinder and engaging the blanks and the grinder at opposite ends of its movement without changing its position relative to the axis of the chuck, substantial] y as set forth.

7. In a button forming machine, the combination with a blank-holding chuck having a fixed position, and a cutting tool having an angular position with relation to the axis of the chuck and reciprocating toward and away from such chuck without changing its position relative to the axis of the chuck, of a sharpening grinding wheel having a fiat grinding surface rotating in a plane passing through the end of the cutting tool and engaging such cutting tool on its movement away from the chuck, substantially as set forth.

8. In a button forming machine, the combination with a blank-holding chuck, a toolsharpening grinder and a cuttingtool, relatively movable so that said cutting tool alternately engages the 'blanks and the grinder, of a feeding mechanism operated automatically by or in conjunction with such movement for feeding the tool forward so that its cutting end will automatically maintain a position practically in line with the axis of the chuck, substantially asset forth.

9. In a button forming machine, the combination with a blank-holding chuck and a toolsharpening grinder, having fixed positions,of

a cutting tool having an angular position with relation to the axis of the chuck, reciprocating between said chuck and grinder and engaging the-blanks and the grinder at opposite ends of its movement without changing its position relative to the axis of the chuck, and a feeding mechanism operated automatically by or in conjunction with such movement for feeding the tool forward so that its cutting end will automatically maintain a position practically in line with the axis of the chuck, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with the grindingwheel, the chuck for holding the blanks, the cutting-tool, and'automatic means for causing the movement of the cutting tool from working contact with the blank in the jaws of the chuck, to sharpening contact with the grindin g-wheel, substantially as described.

l1. The combination with the grinding wheel, the chuck for holding the blanks, the reciprocating carriage the angularly adjustable tool-holder, the cutting tool held inthe tool holder, and automatic means for causing the movement of the cutting-tool from working contact with the blank in the jaws of the chuck, to sharpening contact with the grinding wheel, and reversely to the chuck, substantially as described.

l2. The combination with the chuck, and the cutting tool adapted for movement toward and from-the chuck, of the grinding wheel for sharpening said tool, and means for adjustably holding said grinding wheel, whereby the tool may be ground at diierent angles, substantially as described. l

13. The combination with the rotating chuck, and the guide-way, of the feed-lever, the centering-lever, and the setting-lever, and means for operating the said levers to feed the blanks from the'guide-Way and place the same in the chuck, substantially as described.

14. The combination with the rotating chuck, and the guide-way, of the feed-lever,

-the centering-lever, and the setting-level',

means for operating the said levers to feed the blanks from the guide-way and place the same in the chuck, and the spring actuated sleeve or plug adapted to bear against the rear of the blank, substantially as described.

l5. The combination with the centeringlever, and the'setting-lever pivoted to the centering-lever, of the chuck provided with the spring-actuated sleeve or plug adapted to bear against the rear of the blank, substantially as described,

16. In a button forming machine, the combination with a blank-holding chuck and a tool sharpening grinder having fixed positions, of a cutting tool movable immediately from the chuck to the grinder without change of direction, for successively engaging with a blank and said grinder at opposite ends of its movement, means for reciprocating said tool, a feeding device delivering the blanks to the chuck, and means for operating said.

feeding device when the cutting tool is withdrawn from the chuck, substantially as set forth. l

17. In a button forming machine, the combination with a blank-holding chuck and a tool Sharpening grinder having iixed posi-v tions, of a cutting tool movable immediately from the chuck to the grinder without change of direction for successively engaging with a JAMES F. SPRAGUE. Witnesses:

SOCRATES SoHoLFmLD, JOHN S. LYNCH. 

